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Post by udwe on Jan 26, 2022 20:40:36 GMT -6
Awesome! Keep it up. Was wondering how Jarrod was gonna fit in.
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Post by texican on Jan 26, 2022 22:33:34 GMT -6
Gil asked everyone whether they wanted a rack or a half
Hopefully, Gil had enough racks...
There is a BBQ restaurant in the Fort Worth Stockyards, Risky's, that serves all you can eat beef ribs that far surpass pork ribs, but I am biased to beef ribs. Have eaten more than 30 beef ribs at a sitting and had to waddle out of Risky's, but was well satiated every time we ate at Risky's. Had a stack of napkins to keep the face and hands clean most times.
Thanks n for the chapters.
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Post by paulk on Jan 26, 2022 23:16:59 GMT -6
More! More!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jan 28, 2022 18:46:30 GMT -6
Chapter 203
After the meal area was cleaned up, the women did whatever they did and Gil brought out the bone mugs and the mead. When Jarrod tasted his, his eyebrows raised.
"Have you had mead before?" Gil asked.
"Once, at least they called it mead. He had a flavor that seemed manufactured. This is really good!"
"Yeah, there are 'boutique' meaderies around that try to cater to the foo-foo. Never tasted any I liked. So, you get set up okay?"
"Yes, the pea gravel up there makes things nice. I'm going to build a fire pit so I can relax beside the fire."
"Well, my son Billy is an expert fire ring builder and we've already got the rock for it. What diameter do you want?"
"Oh, three or four feet I suppose."
"Billy, go up in my office and brig a radio and charger down for Jarrod. You two can coordinate from here on it to get him a fire pit."
Billy dashed inside to get the radio.
"Gil, you don't have…."
"Jarrod, I like for people to be able to communicate. Glen has his own radio on our net and if someone gets in trouble, somebody will be there quickly. We all carry them every day."
Jarrod nodded.
Billy brought back the radio equipment and explained what they used the different channels were used for. Jarrod check the power meter and it was fully charged.
"So, you're running completely off-grid?" Jarrod asked.
"Yep. We do right well and have fine tuned the systems so there are few restrictions on its use. I'd dare say thinking that solar and wind power is for everyone, will get people into a bind down the road. To outfit a town, even the size of Rogersville, would take millions of dollars to setup. Individual homes are a different thing. They can reduce their power requirements and bills from the power companies. I decided to go completely off the grid right up front. We know what works for us here in the location.
"You mentioned wind power, I saw Uncle Glen's wind turbine. Do you just raise the masts up when needed?" Jarrod asked.
"Let's take a walk. I'd rather show you than just explaining what happens." Gil said, standing up.
Glen and Jarrod followed Gil off the deck and down below the battery bank shed. They came to a wind turbine mast that sat idle, like Glen's., the blades three feet off the ground.
"Watch this." Gil said.
"Gil clamped his hand over a glass plate for a few seconds and the mast started rising.
"When it gets dark enough, the photosensitive switch raises the mast, the mast turns into the wind and starts generating power. I had it designed like this this because I didn't like the mast sticking up like a red flag telling everyone where we are. We set the same thing up for the rest of the houses too. Now, the PV panels charge the battery banks in the daytime and the wind takes over at night, which is when we have the most wind anyway."
"Who did your installation?" Jarrod asked.
"If you want one, I can contact my friend and he can come up to survey your needs. I'll even initially foot the bill if you need time to get your finances organized."
Glen laughed. "Gil, this young man has more money than Carter has pills. Money won't be a problem."
"Well, okay then. I'll give Drake a call Monday. I'll keep you informed."
They walked back to the deck.
When everyone started leaving that evening, the ladies made sure Jarrod had lots of pint jars of watermelon rind pickles, candied rinds, green beans, garlic dills, carrots and whatever they could fit into the of Glen's big baskets. Jarrod was overwhelmed with their generosity.
Sunday afternoon, Gil and Grace watched the twins out in the yard playing with Nailer and Sandy, It was a beautiful October afternoon with the temperature hovering around sixty-nine degrees and the air dry. Gil thumbed through the Farmer's Almanac seeing what was in store for them. That almanac had gotten to be more accurate than the weather services. The only problem was, when it told you it was going to snow, they got a heck off a lot more than what had been printed in the almanac a year ago.
Gil heard a tractor coming down the hill. When he looked up, Billy was pulling a dump trailer loaded with stone blocks cut from inside the chambers."
Gil watched as Billy stopped by shop and loaded up a mortar hoe, two five water cans that Billy had apparently already filled with water, sacks of mortar mix, a mortar pan and trowels. Billy walked over to the deck and took a seat.
"Got everything?" Gil asked.
"Yep, and I turned the sensors back on in Sector Eight."
"Good. Give Jarrod a call on the radio and tell him what time you plan to be over there."
"Yes Sir."
Billy made the call and Jarrod said he be ready for him.
"Is Glen going to haul everything over?" Billy asked.
"No, we'll attach the trailer to the truck and tow it round the long way. We can drive right up to the site."
"I can make lunches for you to take in the morning." Grace said.
"Don't bother Mom. We'll be back by lunch. This is an easy job."
"Well, okay then." Grace said, slipping Gil a slight smile. Billy didn't usually turn down one of Grace's sack lunches.
"So, you're planting the greenhouse today?" Gil asked
"Yes. We've buried the temperature sensors in the planting beds. With the automatic shades, we should be able to keep the beds in the forties. We'll plant spinach, collards, some red cabbages, stalk celery, garlic and broccoli. These are all test plantings to see how well they grow under this setup."
Gil filled his mug up with coffee. "Billy! Are you ready!"
Billy came skipping down the stairs and out the door, Gil following him.
When they arrived at Jarrod's, Billy was out of the truck with a tape measure in his hand and asked Jarrod a couple of questions. Jarrod hit the switch for the awning and let it extend completely. Billy measured from the dripline and started laying the rock in a loose circle.
"These rock are twelve inches thick. I brought extra in case you wanted to build the fire ring higher." Billy said.
"No, twelve inches is fine," Jarrod replied.
Gil and Jarrod watched as Billy mixed the mortar. Gil kept the rock slightly damp as Billy moved around the fire ring, applied the mortar and dressed it up. Thirty minutes later, Billy was finished and was cleaning up his pan and tools.
"Wow, Bill! That was quick!" Jarrod exclaimed.
"Wait until tomorrow afternoon to let the mortar completely set. You can build a fire in it tomorrow evening." Billy replied.
"Well, I guess I can start picking up deadfall." Jarrod grinned.
"Borrow Glen's game cart. You can strap on a lot of wood on those things." Gil said.
Gil snapped his finger and called Drake, explaining what was needed.
"Let me talk to the guy." Drake said.
Gil handed his phone to Jarrod to talk to him. Drake went on line to the EarthRoamer website to see what the power requirements were needed.
"I don't need to come up there." Drake said. "I've got a tower and just the turbine you need. Let me talk to Gil."
"Hey Gil. If ya'll do the pad, we can come in Saturday and install everything, price adjusted."
"We can do that. Thanks Drake."
"I'll see you Saturday Gil."
"I'll send you the coordinates."
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jan 28, 2022 18:48:19 GMT -6
Chapter 204
Gil and Colt heated and bent the rebar and shaped the four large bolts needed to attach to the rebar. While they were doing that, Trace and Brad hauled a tractor with backhoe over, along with lumber for the form and a few carpentry tools and a PTO driven concrete mixer. Using the original plans, they dug the hole and built the form. Billy got down in the hole and applied the form oil to the wood to keep the concrete from sticking to the pine form. While they were waiting for Gil and Colt, Jarrod show them around the RV.
"Where does the sewerage go?" Brad asked.
"It goes into a five-gallon cassette that you have to empty down a sump or you dig a hole to bury the waste." Jarrod replied.
Brad looked at Trace. "There's that piece galvanized culvert behind the barn back of the Church. It looks to be about four feet across and five feet high."
"That would work. We could bury it and put an oak cover with a door in it. You could just take the cassette down and empty it." Trace said.
"Jarrod, what about shower water and water from the kitchen area?"
"There's a grey water hose connection to run it to a sump at the camp grounds to empty the forty gallon holding tank."
"Glen, where would you put a sump in?" Trace asked.
Down the hill toward the river. The ground is gravely and would drain well, plus it would be below the spring head."
Jarrod's grey water drain hose wasn't long enough to reach the sump site so they made a list of the correct pipe and fittings they would need. When Gil and Colt got there, Gil listened to their idea and agreed.
"Let's get the tower base poured and then we can work on that."
With many five gallon cans of river water, the finally got the base poured and made sure the bolts were plumb.
"Well, Jarrod and I are going into town to pick up the hose and connections.." Glen said.
"We'll go get the lumber together for the sump top and bring a couple of saws and drills." Gil said. "We'll all meet back here tomorrow and knock this out."
You want to haul the tractor back?" Brad asked.
"No, we'll use the other tractor to load the culvert."
While the men were working at Jarrod's, Grace and Mollie attended the annual Thanksgiving food box meeting and talked about the contents in the boxes. That was quickly done. The contents hadn't changed in the last three years. The subject rolled around to Doris May's sister who was having problems holding her water due to a bladder condition. She was having to wear absorbent panties every day. They hid the embarrassment she felt and made her feel better. Grace cut her eyes over to Mollie and gave her a slight nod.
After they got back from the meeting, Mollie and Grace set down and figured the percentage of the women in the Church population and the number in panties each pack and calculate out ninety two packs of each size. They did the same for all sizes of men's and added them to the list. When it came to children, they subtracted the percentage and added 50 percent because the absorbent nightwear was one size fits all.
Mollie's thinking was if you were infirmed, at least their homes wouldn't be smelling like a third rate nursing homes.
They put their information together in a folder and placed it aside to talk with Gil later.
Gil and Billy came down and started making breakfast early. They had a lot of work to do and a long way to haul it.
"Oh, you're starting early? There was a couple of things I wanted to talk to you about."
"Start early, finish early. Could we wait to talk about it later? We should be finished by 1300."
"That's fine. You guys be safe."
"When they had finished eating, Grace took their plates to be cleaned and Gil got two battery powered saws, two drills with nut attachments and bits and went down to the lumber shed and pulled out enough oak 4x4s and planks to build the cover over the sump and plenty of galvanized, six inch lag bolts. Billy brought out the second tractor with fork blades on it, Gil draped four ten foot chains with chain tighteners over the forks and Billy headed for the church with Gil following in a Gator. Brad, Trace and Colt were there waiting for them and immediately connected the chains to pull the culvert section upright over a couple of 4x4s. Once upright, the attached the chain hooks to the bottom lip of the culvert, lifted it, and set it down on the 4x4s that had been moved to the trailer. Tightening the chains up Brad, Colt and Trace headed the long way to take the culvert to Jarrod's. Trace went on ahead to start digging the pit. Billy took the tractor back to the equipment shed and he and Gil brought the tools and lumber over.
By mid-morning, the pit had been dug and the bottom leveled and four oak posts sunk into the pit. When they set the culvert in, it sat neatly with the four 4x4 posts. Four galvanized lag bolts secured the posts to the culvert and they began forming the cover over the sump after they filled in around it. As Trace, Colt and Brad finished packing the last of the dirt, they helped Gil and Billy move the top over to the sump and lag bolted it into the tops of the 4x4s. Billy took a hole saw and cut a hole for the grey water hose to empty into the sump. Jarrod would have to hand carry the cassettes down to empty them, which wasn't like he had to do it every day. Besides, he had a spare and could buy more if needed. Jarrod also picked up a twelve volt irrigation pump that could pump water into the RV from the spring to a platform that would hold a cover for a Royal Berkey water filter. All he would have to do was check the level of his fresh water holding tank, flip a switch that would fill the tank on the filter, and the filtered water would drain directly into the holding take. Cleaner water than you could find anywhere.
Billy walked over and checked his mortar joints on the fire pit and was satisfied. After everyone had looked their work over, they all met by the fire pit and gave high fives.
"Well, last thing to do is to get the tower in and you'll be set, Jarrod." Gil said.
"I can't tell you how much I appreciate this Gil."
"Just be a good neighbor. Drake will show up here around 0900 on Saturday. Probably a full coffee pot and plenty of water will be a boost to them."
"Consider it done. I know just the thing. Tractor Supply has a cooking grate you drive into the ground, that can swing over the fire and you can raise and lower it with a crank. I'll have a camp pot on."
"Sounds good. Well guys, let get this stuff loaded up and head back to the far side."
Friday, Gil called Jarrod and told him they had a package for him from Berkey Filter systems. Jarrod and Glen went over to pick it up and had a nice lunch with the Conners family. Upon returning to the other side, Jarrod went to tractor supply and purchased the fireside grill and a float pump for a chicken waterer. In theory, he could flip a switch, The pump at the spring would turn on, filling the tank on the filter, when the tank was full, the switch would shut the pump down and the filtered water would drain into the holding tank. He made graduated markings on the meter to see just how much water the tank held. Usually he ran it two or three times a day. There probably was more efficient means of doing all this, but it worked for Jarrod. Finishing the work, Jarrod went inside and flipped the switch to fill the tank. When the float valve shut the pump down, he went back outside, kicked back in his outdoor zero gravity recliner and took a nap.
Gil and Colt heated and bent the rebar and shaped the four large bolts needed to attach to the rebar. While they were doing that, Trace and Brad hauled a tractor with backhoe over, along with lumber for the form and a few carpentry tools and a PTO driven concrete mixer. Using the original plans, they dug the hole and built the form. Billy got down in the hole and applied the form oil to the wood to keep the concrete from sticking to the pine form. While they were waiting for Gil and Colt, Jarrod show them around the RV.
"Where does the sewerage go?" Brad asked.
"It goes into a five-gallon cassette that you have to empty down a sump or you dig a hole to bury the waste." Jarrod replied.
Brad looked at Trace. "There's that piece galvanized culvert behind the barn back of the Church. It looks to be about four feet across and five feet high."
"That would work. We could bury it and put an oak cover with a door in it. You could just take the cassette down and empty it." Trace said.
"Jarrod, what about shower water and water from the kitchen area?"
"There's a grey water hose connection to run it to a sump at the camp grounds to empty the forty gallon holding tank."
"Glen, where would you put a sump in?" Trace asked.
Down the hill toward the river. The ground is gravely and would drain well, plus it would be below the spring head."
Jarrod's grey water drain hose wasn't long enough to reach the sump site so they made a list of the correct pipe and fittings they would need. When Gil and Colt got there, Gil listened to their idea and agreed.
"Let's get the tower base poured and then we can work on that."
With many five gallon cans of river water, the finally got the base poured and made sure the bolts were plumb.
"Well, Jarrod and I are going into town to pick up the hose and connections.." Glen said.
"We'll go get the lumber together for the sump top and bring a couple of saws and drills." Gil said. "We'll all meet back here tomorrow and knock this out."
You want to haul the tractor back?" Brad asked.
"No, we'll use the other tractor to load the culvert."
While the men were working at Jarrod's, Grace and Mollie attended the annual Thanksgiving food box meeting and talked about the contents in the boxes. That was quickly done. The contents hadn't changed in the last three years. The subject rolled around to Doris May's sister who was having problems holding her water due to a bladder condition. She was having to wear absorbent panties every day. They hid the embarrassment she felt and made her feel better. Grace cut her eyes over to Mollie and gave her a slight nod.
After they got back from the meeting, Mollie and Grace set down and figured the percentage of the women in the Church population and the number in panties each pack and calculate out ninety two packs of each size. They did the same for all sizes of men's and added them to the list. When it came to children, they subtracted the percentage and added 50 percent because the absorbent nightwear was one size fits all.
Mollie's thinking was if you were infirmed, at least their homes wouldn't be smelling like a third rate nursing homes.
They put their information together in a folder and placed it aside to talk with Gil later.
Gil and Billy came down and started making breakfast early. They had a lot of work to do and a long way to haul it.
"Oh, you're starting early? There was a couple of things I wanted to talk to you about."
"Start early, finish early. Could we wait to talk about it later? We should be finished by 1300."
"That's fine. You guys be safe."
"When they had finished eating, Grace took their plates to be cleaned and Gil got two battery powered saws, two drills with nut attachments and bits and went down to the lumber shed and pulled out enough oak 4x4s and planks to build the cover over the sump and plenty of galvanized, six inch lag bolts. Billy brought out the second tractor with fork blades on it, Gil draped four ten foot chains with chain tighteners over the forks and Billy headed for the church with Gil following in a Gator. Brad, Trace and Colt were there waiting for them and immediately connected the chains to pull the culvert section upright over a couple of 4x4s. Once upright, the attached the chain hooks to the bottom lip of the culvert, lifted it, and set it down on the 4x4s that had been moved to the trailer. Tightening the chains up Brad, Colt and Trace headed the long way to take the culvert to Jarrod's. Trace went on ahead to start digging the pit. Billy took the tractor back to the equipment shed and he and Gil brought the tools and lumber over.
By mid-morning, the pit had been dug and the bottom leveled and four oak posts sunk into the pit. When they set the culvert in, it sat neatly with the four 4x4 posts. Four galvanized lag bolts secured the posts to the culvert and they began forming the cover over the sump after they filled in around it. As Trace, Colt and Brad finished packing the last of the dirt, they helped Gil and Billy move the top over to the sump and lag bolted it into the tops of the 4x4s. Billy took a hole saw and cut a hole for the grey water hose to empty into the sump. Jarrod would have to hand carry the cassettes down to empty them, which wasn't like he had to do it every day. Besides, he had a spare and could buy more if needed. Jarrod also picked up a twelve volt irrigation pump that could pump water into the RV from the spring to a platform that would hold a cover for a Royal Berkey water filter. All he would have to do was check the level of his fresh water holding tank, flip a switch that would fill the tank on the filter, and the filtered water would drain directly into the holding take. Cleaner water than you could find anywhere.
Billy walked over and checked his mortar joints on the fire pit and was satisfied. After everyone had looked their work over, they all met by the fire pit and gave high fives.
"Well, last thing to do is to get the tower in and you'll be set, Jarrod." Gil said.
"I can't tell you how much I appreciate this Gil."
"Just be a good neighbor. Drake will show up here around 0900 on Saturday. Probably a full coffee pot and plenty of water will be a boost to them."
"Consider it done. I know just the thing. Tractor Supply has a cooking grate you drive into the ground, that can swing over the fire and you can raise and lower it with a crank. I'll have a camp pot on."
"Sounds good. Well guys, let get this stuff loaded up and head back to the far side."
Friday, Gil called Jarrod and told him they had a package for him from Berkey Filter systems. Jarrod and Glen went over to pick it up and had a nice lunch with the Conners family. Upon returning to the other side, Jarrod went to tractor supply and purchased the fireside grill and a float pump for a chicken waterer. In theory, he could flip a switch, The pump at the spring would turn on, filling the tank on the filter, when the tank was full, the switch would shut the pump down and the filtered water would drain into the holding tank. He made graduated markings on the meter to see just how much water the tank held. Usually he ran it two or three times a day. There probably was more efficient means of doing all this, but it worked for Jarrod. Finishing the work, Jarrod went inside and flipped the switch to fill the tank. When the float valve shut the pump down, he went back outside, kicked back in his outdoor zero gravity recliner and took a nap.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jan 28, 2022 18:49:51 GMT -6
Chapter 205
Gil began getting the first drips out of the condenser spout and caught it in a #10 can. When enough of the head had dripped out, he used two, four cup measuring cups to catch the good stuff. As the cups filled, he'd mark down the amount and pour it in into the charred keg, initially adding the infusion spirals to the keg. When he had gotten all the drippings from the "good stuff", he replaced the measuring cups with the #10 can, letting everything boil off as much as he could. Hammering the bung into the barrel, he marked the tag with distilling information and took it outside to the Gator. He put the fire out under the still and rinsed the tools off he had been using. He'd clean the still tomorrow.
Gil drove down the ridge to the Aging Cellar and sat the barrel inside. He had started setting the barrels up chronologically, but found out that wasn't completely accurate. Some barrels just matured faster than others, so he started placing tags on the barrels telling him the information about the distillation. It seemed to be working. It was getting late and Drake was coming in the morning to set the tower up at Jarrod's He had left enough juice in the still to keep it from drying out. He'd worry about that later.
Gil walked into the house and pulled his water bottle out of the fridge.
"Did you hear the news? A reporter has outed Congressman Simmons. They found he was sharing a nice condo with two other junior congressmen plus a fine little piece of arm candy."
Gil shrugged. "Well, he is single and I certainly hope the others are single too."
"Well, they might not find anything on him, but those reporters smell blood in the water and they are in a feeding frenzy." Grace replied
"Well, I guess it's only fair. They've done it to Republicans for years and these so-called 'Conservatives' like Simmons just stood by, hoping it moved them up the food chain."
"Uncle Glen, how do I go about getting a weapons carry permit? I carried a pistol for so long, I feel naked without it."
"You talking about that big-ass, hawg-leg you carry in that chest holster?"
"No, I know that's too big too carry around here. I've got a Kimber Black Ice .45, but I need to practice with it."
"Let me talk to Gil about using his range and we'll go shooting."
When Jarrod left, Glen called Gil on the secure channel and asked to use the range Saturday afternoon and the reason why.
"Sure, meet us at the range after Drake is finished and we'll provide the practice ammo."
Glen cut the transmission and called the Chief Instructor at the District 5 Headquarters in Fall Branch and asked to get two students in the next EHCP class. It was not a problem. Gil pressed the end call icon and picked up his glass of mead.
Glen called Jarrod to come down for a country breakfast in the morning around 0800.
"I'll be there" Jarrod happily accepted.
Jarrod walked into the smell of biscuits cooking and ham frying. Glen had two plates set out The little cabin was toasty warm, breaking the edge of the chilly fall morning. Jarrod took a coffee mug down and poured a cup of coffee.
"Morning Uncle Glen."
"Good morning. You want to turn this ham while I check the biscuits?"
"Sure." Jarrod said, taking the fork from Glen's hand.
Glen opened the oven door and took the lid of his shallow "biscuit oven."
"Five minutes, just right."
Glen sat a cast iron frying pan on the wood cookstove and added a dollop of bacon grease from a can and let the pan heat up. Just as the grease began smoking he poured the rehydrated OvaEasy dehydrated eggs into the pan and began stirring, added a couple of twists of pepper from the pepper grinder and one of sea salt. When Glen was satisfied, he carried the pan over to the table and divided the eggs between the two plates, quickly followed by Jarrod adding the slices of ham. Glen added water to the egg pan and set it on a cooler side of the woodstove top and pulled the biscuit oven out. Grabbing a spoon and the bacon grease can, Glen spread the quickly melting grease over the tops of the biscuits with the back of the spoon. He took a pair of wood tongs and grabbed two biscuits for each plate and returned the lid to the biscuit oven.
"Let's eat!"
They both sat down, Glen opening a jar of apple butter.
"Now, if this doesn't harden your arteries, nothing will." Jarrod joked.
"Son, everybody dies. Some sooner than others. Some better than others. The perfect death comes with blood in your mouth and a bullet in your heart, fighting for something you believe in."
"Speaking of bullets, did Gil say we could use the range?"
"Yep, and he'll provide the practice ammo. We'll go over when the tower is complete."
Jarrod nodded and took a bite of the half of a biscuit smeared with apple butter. They quietly ate the rest of their meal. Finished, their plates mopped up with a biscuit, they got up and Glen filled the dish pan with water from the hot water reservoir. They quickly cleaned and dried the dishes. Quickly cleaning everything up, they poured another cup of coffee and sat on the porch. They had only been sitting a few minutes when Glen's radio squawked.
"Glen, you there?"
"I've got you Gil."
"Drake just called. He's started crossing Cherokee Lake and will be there soon. Can you get the gate opened for them?"
"On it." Glen said.
Jarrod stood up, tossed the rest of his coffee off the porch and went inside, rinsing it out. He came back out and headed up to his place."
"I'll see you up there in a bit!" Glen said. Jarrod unlocked the gate, but left it closed. Going back to his Jeep, he nursed off a steel bottle of water and waited for the crew to arrive. He only waited a few minutes when he spotted the truck, towing a trailer, coming from the southeast. At almost the same time he saw Gil's truck, towing a tilt-bed equipment trailer with a tractor on it coming from the northeast. Opening the gate, he let both rigs through, relocked the gate then followed them to the RV site.
When he got there, Drake was at the pad with a tape measure, checking the bolt placement. Drake nodded and stood up.
"Perfect! That saved you $1500."
Brad was unloading the tractor and Drake's crew had just completed unchaining the mast assembly. Jarrod watched as they set the assembly in place and tightened the bolts with air tools. In a matter of minutes, the crew was emplacing the anchor posts while Drake used an instrument to check the box at the base of the mast. Once all the anchors were in place, Drake covered the light sensor and the mast began rising. Once it reached its full extension, Drake uncovered the light sensor and the mast began retracting. They next attached the turbine, blades, and cables then covered the light sensor again. The tower rose again to full extension, the turbine unlocked, turned into the wind, and the blades turning at a moderate speed. Drake, watching the power meter made a couple of adjustments on the mast control box while the crew checked the guy wire retention reels. When all adjustments had been made, the light sensor was uncovered, the turbine braked and the tower retracted.
"And I thought easy was getting harder every day." Drake grinned. "I need to add you guys to my installation crew!"
Gil shook his head and grinned.. "We'll keep our day jobs."
The crew didn't want coffee, just water, which Jarrod had an abundance of. They all lazed around talking for another thirty minutes, then gathered up their equipment and left. Jarrod followed them out and opened the gate\ for them.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jan 28, 2022 18:52:09 GMT -6
Chapter 206
Jarrod fired the next round and the slide locked back.
"Those are good shot groups, at all ranges." Brad said.
"Like riding a bicycle , I guess." Jarrod said.
"Glen, Jarrod, you two need to be over at the District 5 Headquarters in Fall Branch to take the EHCP training course on Saturday, the 18th. It will legally allow you to carry in places regular CCW permit holders can't. Be ready to start class at 0800."
"Week after next. You set this up Gil?" Glen asked.
Sure I did. I consider you two to be assets to the community."
"Thanks, Gil." Jarrod said.
They cleaned up their brass and targets and cleared the range.
"Jarrod, what are you doing the rest of the afternoon?" Glen asked.
"You know Uncle Glen, I think I'm going to load my travel mug with iced tea and drive around a bit, get to know the southern end of the county. I'll only go out a couple of hours."
"Sounds good. I reckon I'll finish my latest basket."
Jarrod filled his mug and went to his Jeep. Getting in, he pulled up the map on the GPS and selected a road to the south east.
He ambled down Highway 11W to 25E, on down to 66 and merging onto 344. There was a lot more urbanization than he thought and he made mental notes of some of the shops down that way. After merging onto 344 in Russellville, it was much less urbanized and Jarrod slowed his speed. Seeing a sign that said, "Precision Firearms," Jarrod pulled in to see what they had. Looking around, he saw the usual hunting guns and a few personal defense guns, but the gunsmith's main business was custom built guns. Jarrod did pick up four boxes of 147 grain Federal HST ammo. He continued up 344 and decided to go on back home. He hadn't eaten any lunch and his stomach was beginning to growl. As he was coming up to the intersection of 344 and 113, he saw a sign on the right side of the road advertising a diner, so he pulled it in to get something to tide him over. Jarrod opened the door, ringing the little bell over door, which was answered by a female's voice.
"Sit anywhere you like, I'll be with you in a second!"
Jarrod selected a small table and took a seat. A young waitress came over with a menu and a glass of iced water and sat them on the table.
"What would you like to drink?"
"Uh…unsweetened iced tea."
"Be right back." The waitress came back with his tea and pulled out her order pad.
"What would you like?"
"I think I'll have the meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans."
Jarrod looked up and saw the waitress looking intently at him. She blinked and frowned.
"I'm sorry, I've seen that look before."
"What do you mean?"
"You have the look of someone who's hurting and doesn't want to share the pain. It's a shame we could maybe laugh together but you have to cry alone."
Jarrod studied her as she walked away. "Now, where did that come from?"
She quickly brought out his meal and he ate slowly, savoring the delicious flavors. As he was finishing food, the waitress came back out and refilled his tea.
"Can I get you anything else? We have pecan pie made this morning."
"Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. Yes, I'll have a slice of the pecan pie."
The waitress brought back his pie and started to clear his plate.
"Excuse me, uh Glenda," Jarrod said, looking at here nametag. "What made you say what you did before?"
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
"No please. I'd like to know. I'm not normally into long conversations. I've spent the last few years living amongst people who didn't either, at least not in English."
"Yeah? Where were you?"
Jarrod explained his journey to the Yukon then onto Alaska. Glenda sat down and cupped her chin in her hand and listened. When he had finished all he was going to reveal, she watched his face.
"So, from what little you told me, your problem started in Missouri." Glenda said.
"Yes."
"I won't dig into the problem but it seems you've held it in too long." Its been festering in your soul with no outlet. Now that's a problem. These things should talked out into the open. Bleed it off. If you don't have anyone close you can talk took to, get a dog. I talk to my dog all the time, and she loves me."
"A dog, hunh?"
"Hey, Bill Holmes, down the road, has some eight month old black labs for sale. Maybe you could find one you like?"
""Where does he live?"
"Go past the intersection. First house on the left. You can't miss it."
Jarrod paid for the $9.75 meal with a $20 bill and told her to keep the change. Once on the road again, he only had to travel a third of a mile and pulled into a farmstead. A man was watching him from the front of a barn. Jarrod parked and got out and walked up to the man.
"Good afternoon, I'm Jarrod Smith. Glenda, down at the diner says you have some young Black Labs you are selling."
"Bill Holmes. You lookin' to buy just one?"
"Yes Sir."
"Well, that depends on whether the dog wants you. Let's do a test. Follow me."
Jarrod followed Mr. Holmes to the barn where Mr. Holmes picked up a milk crate full of balls and dumped them on the run inside the barn.
"Now, you go stand out there about 20 feet and if one of the dogs wants you, then he or she will come."
Mr. Holmes went inside and started opening kennel cages. The four dogs rushed out and grabbed a ball and started playing, except one who caught sight of Jarrod, grabbed a ball and ran out and dropped the ball in front of him. Jarrod picked up the ball and tossed it a few yards away, the dog immediately chased it, grabbed it up and brought it back to Jarrod.
"Well, there's your dog. His name is Beau. You want him?"
"Yeah, I'll take him." Jarrod said, scratching Beau's ears."
"I'll go in a get his vaccination records then."
Jarrod tossed the ball a few more times until Mr. Holmes can back with the shot records.
"How much do I owe you Mr. Holmes?"
"Normally, I sell 'em for $125. Since you're the first person Beau has shined to, you can have him for $75. I like to see a dog go where he'll be happy. Beau is particular."
Jarrod gave Mr. Holmes cash and they talked about feed Beau liked. They turned and walked to the Jeep and Beau picked the ball up and followed. Mr. Holmes chuckled.
"He can keep the ball. That's his favorite."
Jarrod opened the door and Beau jumped right in, taking up position in the passenger seat, ball still in his mouth.
"Well, thank you Mr. Holmes. I'll take good care of him."
"You're welcome, and I'm sure Beau will take good care of you too."
As Jarrod turned right to pick up 344 again, he glanced at Beau looking regal as he looked forward.
"Drop the ball or you'll get drool all over everything."
Beau looked down, dropped the ball in the floorboard and continued his watch for killer cats and chickens along the road.
"We need to get you some feed and bowls fella." Jarrod said, looking at his watch.
Beau's tail thumped the seat.
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Post by bluefox2 on Jan 28, 2022 19:42:29 GMT -6
I'm thinking Jarrod and Beau may be making more trips over to the diner to see glenda.
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Post by cavsgt on Jan 28, 2022 20:32:26 GMT -6
Not everyday that you get a new dog and new girl at the same time.
Thank You Phill
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Post by udwe on Jan 28, 2022 22:24:16 GMT -6
Awesome, KEEP GOING!!!!!!!!!!!
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Post by ydderf on Jan 29, 2022 12:13:07 GMT -6
Nice when everything clicks. Thanks
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Post by CountryGuy on Jan 30, 2022 9:25:50 GMT -6
Loving it!!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jan 31, 2022 8:43:05 GMT -6
Chapter 207
"Crap!" Tate said, spinning the steering to the left and coming to a stop, partially blocking both lanes of Main Street and jumped out. In front of him was a van parked in front of the Reflections Beauty Salon. A man had jumped out of the van and was dragging a woman off the sidewalk, his hand gripping her hair. But what really triggered him was the pistol laying on the dash in front of the driver. QED, a kidnapping.
Tate drew his pistol and yelled, "LET HER GO!"
The driver of the van reached for the pistol and had his hand on it as Tate pulled the trigger, aiming low because of the slight deflection the windshield would cause. Tate got lucky and the bullet caught the driver in the throat. The other man roughly shoved the woman into the van and drew a pistol. As his head came into view between the open door edge and the van doorpost, Tate put a round through his stocking hat, which helped stop some of the brain matter from spreading out over the sidewalk. Tate checked both bodies and confirmed neither was any danger to anyone else.
"Ma'am! Are you hurt?" Tate asked.
The woman moaned, "No, but that bastard messed up my new hairdressing!"
Tate smirked. "Let me help you out."
Tate helped her out of the van and walked her to the salon door. Three shaking hair dressers were huddled inside the door as he opened it.
"Could you ladies help get her hair back in shape?" She's upset that the man ruined the great work you did. The ladies took control of the young woman so Tate went back outside. Obviously, someone had called the police as a car with lights flashing screeched to a stop on the other side of Tate's truck. Tate raised his hands and waited for the officers' approach.
One of the officers, gun drawn, approached cautiously.
"What happened here?"
"Apparently an attempted kidnapping by some desperate people." Tate replied.
The other officer came around to the side and removed Tate's pistol from its holster.
"I'm going to cuff you. You are under no charges yet. This is only for your and our protection. Tate calmly let them cuff him, frisk him, and sit him in the back of the police car.
Tate watched as several other police cars and a van pulled up. The first officer came over to the car."
"You are Tate Gibson?"
"Yes Sir."
"You live around here?"
"Yes, my boss, Don Gray, let's me park my travel trailer down at his business."
"Okay, I'll be right back."
Officer Hanscom walked to the side and called Don Gray.
"Don? This is Ray Hanscom with the Rogersville Police Department. I have a Tate Gibson in custody. Does he have a travel trailer on your property?
"Yes he does. What is he supposed to have done?
"He was involved with a possible kidnapping."
"Tate wouldn't have kidnapped anyone!"
"No, it looks like he stopped on."
"Where are you? I'll be right there."
"We're down in front of the Reflections Beauty Salon, on Main Street."
"I'll be right there!"
Officer Hanscom went over and helped Tate out of the squad car and took the cuffs off of him.
"Sorry about that, Mr. Gibson. We have procedures to follow."
"I understand." Tate replied.
"Now, will you walk me through just what happened?"
Tate took him back over to his truck and narrated his steps as everything unfolded. During all this, Don arrived and stood to the side, listening. Don pulled out his phone and called Gil.
"Gil, are you in town?"
"As a matter of fact, I'm down at Tractor Supply. Why?"
"I might need you help on a police matter."
"Where are you?"
"About a mile from you on Main Street. You can't miss the commotion."
"I'll be right there."
A few minutes later Gil walked up to Don, who was talking to Chief Dalton.
Dalton nodded. "Gil."
"What happened?
"It looks like Tate stopped a kidnapping. Guys had guns. Guys tried to use guns. Tate shot guys with guns."
"Any I.D. on the perps?" Gil asked.
"Not yet. No papers on them."
"Ray, you and Will should think about adding Tate as another Reserve Officer. Looks like he handled the situation well enough."
"Yeah. I'll talk to Will."
Tate walked over after he finished going through the scenario with Officer Hanscom.
"Where's the woman?" Gil asked Tate.
"When it was all over, she was more pissed off about getting her new hairdressing messed up, I took her back inside to see if they could calm her down. She's certainly got her priorities."
"Don and Gil both laughed.
I can't believe they tried a snatch in broad daylight on Main Street." Don said.
"Maybe that surprise was what they were going for. I'll bet the van is stolen and they have another vehicle stashed somewhere." Gil replied.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jan 31, 2022 8:46:08 GMT -6
Chapter 208
Jarrod pulled up in front of Tractor Supply and parked.
"Boy, if you want to go in with me, you have to stay by my side. No wandering around!"
Jarrod got out and Beau climbed over the console and jumped out of the Jeep, stationing himself on Jarrod's left side. Jarrod grabbed a cart and they walked into the store.
"We need to get you a food and a water bowl fella."
They walked over to the pet supplies and got a nice set of stainless steel bowls on an elevated wrought-iron stand. Placing the set into the cart they moved down to the dry dog food. The smart manager had set up little bins for the dogs to try a sample of each food they offered.. Beau zeroed in on one bin and tried to lift the lid with his nose. Jarrod got a small handful and held it out to Beau, who immediately devoured it down and licked Jarrod's hand. Jarrod looked at the bin label, found a forty pound bag, and placed it in the cart. He picked up a large box of dental chew bones and a large box of large Milk Bone dog biscuits. Jarrod got him a new collar and a leash and headed for the checkout counter.
After loading everything in the back of his truck, Beau took up his security position and they headed home.
Officer Shay Hayes escorted Glenda James out of the Salon and over to the men talking. Ms. James had asked to meet the man who had saved her. As they walked up to Tate, he smiled at her.
"Your hair is beautiful!"
"The women fixed it at no charge."
"Well, they did a great job."
"I want to thank you for saving me. I don't know why they picked me."
"Because you are beautiful. I'm sure they had ulterior motives in mind. A lot of that going around these days."
Glenda's eye got large. "You mean….?"
"I guess we won't really ever know. They're both dead." Tate said.
Glenda turned pale and Officer Hayes had to steady her."
"Look, do you have a way home?
"Yes, my car is in the parking lot down the street."
"Well, you don't look in any shape to drive. Let me buy you a cup of coffee and let you settle down some."
"Okay."
"Officer, are we done here?" Tate asked.
"Yes Mr. Gibson. We have your contact information if anything else is required. You're free to go."
Tate assisted her into the passenger seat and drove a block down the street, did a U-turn and parked in front of OH Henry's.
They got glasses of iced tea and talked into the late afternoon, exchanging information.
"Are you busy this weekend?" Tate asked Glenda.
Glenda blushed. "I have Sunday free."
Well, on Sundays, I pull out my iPad and bring up a map of the area with a fifty mile radius. I close my eyes and wave my finger around and punch the screen. Where it lands is my destination for the day. I just ride around and take in the sights. Would you like to go with me Sunday?"
"Yes…yes I would." Glenda answered.
"Well, let me get your address and I'll pick you up at 1:00 on Sunday."
Jarrod parked next to the RV and began unloading. Beau sniffed around, checking the perimeter, making sure some crazy racoon hadn't been around. Jarrod washed and dried the bowls and filled them with food and water. He changed the tags from Beau's old collar to the new one and put the new one around Beau's neck. Beau waited calmly, his tail vibrating like a rattlesnake. When Jarrod finished, Beau raced around the open area like a whirling dervish, as if he was celebrating his new home. Setting the bag of dog food and the boxes of dog bones in the trailer, he added a few bones of each into a ZipLock bag to keep inside. Digging around, he found a camo heavy-duty moving blanket that was still in its plastic and tore it off. Folding it into quarters, Jarrod laid the blanket under the awning next to the fire pit. Breaking up small pieces of limbs from the forest, Jarrod used a firestarter block made from beeswax and shavings from Uncle Glens basket projects, Jarrod struck the steel on the ferro rod of the Lightning Strike firestarter and soon had a nice fire going. He carried the bag of dog treats in, got a beer from his refrigerator and sat in his recliner. Beau waited until Jarrod sat down then laid on the moving blanket.
"This is the life Beau. It seems like we're a hundred miles from anyone. No traffic noise, no bears or crazy moose wandering around, just silence. What do you think? You like it here?"
Beau looked at Jarrod and gave a low "woof."
"Hellllo the camp!"
"Come on in Uncle Glen! Grab a seat!"
Glen came out of the twilight from below, unfolded a camp chair.
"I can offer you spring water, iced tea, or a beer."
'I'll take that iced tea."
"Be right back."
Glen had noticed the dog as he came up, but didn't say anything. He'd wait for Jarrod to tell his story. Jarrod came back out, handed Glen his tea and sat back down.
"I guess you've seen the dog." Jarrod said.
"Couldn't hardly miss him. How'd you come about him?"
Jarrod began telling of his adventures and ever so often, Beau would look up at Jarrod, tail thumping the camo blanket.
"Well, seems like he's taken with you."
"Yeah, he's done well, so far."
"Jarrod got up and retrieved a dental bone from inside and gave it to Beau, who worried with it for a while before gnawing bits off.
"That girl was strange though. It was as though she could look right into my soul. After she told me about the Lab puppies, I was compelled to get a puppy. I haven't had a dog since I was a kid. It's really nice to have Beau around though. He sets easy on ya."
"You going back to see her?" Glen asked.
"I'm not ready for that yet. That one big loss in my life has been too hurtful to risk more. Nothing gained means nothing can be lost."
Glen grunted. "You better stop turning away opportunities. You could miss out on the best thing you could ever hope for."
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jan 31, 2022 8:47:41 GMT -6
Chapter 209
"You know, you should build a vehicle shelter for your Jeep; keep the snow and rain off it this winter."
"It snow much here in the wintertime?"
"Not like you've probably seen up north, but occasionally we get abnormal amounts here, usually around January and February.. Wouldn't take much. Make a frame like a pole barn, make a roof deck out of rough-cut boards, cover it with roofing felt, cover that with roofing tar and lay some wood shingles. Good thing is, most of what we need will come from the forest around us."
"Won't the birds roost inside and leave droppings on the Jeep?"
"Not after I've made my preparations."
"Well, it would be nice to get it under cover without loading it into the trailer."
"I'll start rounding things up. I've got some good cedars already picked out in my mind."
"Hey Tate!" Glenda said as she climbed into the Jeep. "Where are we going?"
"Haven't decided yet. I thought I'd let you do the picking."
Tate turned on his iPad and pulled up the map.
"Now close your eyes and feel where the iPad is, then circle your finger around a couple of times then press your finger on the screen and hold it there.
Glenda waved her finger around and dropped it to the screen as Tate watched.
"Where are we going?" Glenda asked.
"You picked the middle of nowhere, but it's near Bulls Gap, so we'll just go down there and ride around and find something interesting."
Jarrod, Glen and Gil sat on the deck talking after a wonderful chicken 'n dumpling lunch.
"How's everything up at the camp?" Gil asked.
"It's great, and Beau loves it there too.'
Beau, laying out in the yard with Sandy, cocked an ear and looked toward the deck.
"Yeah, Labs love to be outside."
"I hope you don't mind Gil, but I'd like to build a vehicle shelter for the Jeep. Uncle Glen has some cedars we can use for posts already cut." Jarrod said.
"Absolutely!. There's plenty of cedars in that section also. Take what you need. How big ya gonna build it?"
"I've laid out a 10x20 foot, inside dimension plan for him." Glen said. "He'd have enough room to put in good size storage room.
"Jarrod, I've got a bunch of popular boards you could side the shed with board and batten and plenty of wood preservative. Come over and we'll load up the big trailer up and we can haul it over at one time."
"Thanks Gil, I'll keep that in mind."
"And Glen, we can bring a tractor over with an auger and get those holes done. No use breaking backs over that. Heck, just name the day and we can have an all hands on deck day."
"That would be great Gil!"
Tate and Glenda, wending their way through the hills and backroads around Bulls Run. On one of the country roads, they found one guy who made and sold jerky, so Tate bought a half pound for Glenda and one for himself. They toured what was to see in bulls Gap and late in the afternoon, Tate got a craving for a milkshake so they headed down across I-81 and got a large Chocolate Frosty at Wendy's for each of them.
They rode silently back to the house Glenda rented a room in.
"Thank you. I really enjoyed today." Glenda said.
"No, thank you. It's much more enjoyable when you see the sights with someone along. Would you like to do this again sometime?"
"Yes, I'd like that." Glenda replied.
"Good. I'll be giving you a call then."
Glenda grinned.
Tate walked her to the door and she rewarded him with a quick peck on the cheek. Grinning, he got back in his truck, humming all the way home.
Sunday evening, Jarrod and Beau sat beside the firepit, Jarrod listening to music on the radio and Beau trying not to listen. A couple of times, Beau alerted to something roaming in the woods but soon settled down again. Beau soon settled to snoozing when Jarrod changed the music to some soft rock. Jarrod sipped his beer and thought back over the last few months. He was much more relaxed than he had been in Alaska. Things were much less tense here. He heard a noise and identified it as the turbine mast rising then heard the faint whirr of the blades turning. Nice setup. His mind ambled about things he could do when the storage shed was built. He could get some barrels and store ahead the things he could keep outside, like extra flour, pancake mix, sugar, coffee, TP and paper towels. He could make fewer trips to the store. Jarrod dozed off until the chill of the dying fire woke him. Getting up, as did Beau, he laid Beau's bed in the in the lounger and they went into the RV for the evening.
The next morning Jarrod took his camp pot outside and built a fire in the pit. Sitting there sipping his coffee and Beau quickly destroying a dog biscuit, they watched the sky lighten with the coming day.
"Helllo the camp!"
"Come on in Uncle Glen!"
Jarrod got up and grabbed another camp coffee cup out of the storage box on the LTi and filled it for Glen.
"Nice fire." Glen said.
"It knocks the chill off. Jarrod said.
"I selected some posts yesterday afternoon we can use. We need to get this thing marked off, lines strung, and ready to drill the holes."
"What's the hurry?" Jarrod asked.
"We've got possibly four goods days to put this thing up before a storm system is supposed to hit here. Weather governs when you do things around here. Work smart, not miserable."
"I hear that. Well, I've got stakes cut and a roll of construction twine."
"I'll give Gil a call and they can bring the tractor over and bags of Sakrete. You just need to replace the Sakrete for him. We can get the log dolly and start moving the posts up here."
Jarrod moved the coffee pot to the side of the grate and stood up. "Let's get the perimeter marked out and then call Gil. While they're moving equipment and digging the holes, we can be moving posts."
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jan 31, 2022 8:49:57 GMT -6
Chapter 210 Monday was maintenance day at Gray Construction Company. They didn't have an upcoming project until Wednesday, to dig out a cattle pond up near Pennington Gap, so the emphasis was on the dozers and the Euclid earth scrapers.
"Tate! You've got a call in the office!"
"Tate? The is Chief Ray Dalton, Rogersville Police Department. Do you have time to come down and speak with myself and Sheriff Tatum at 11:00?"
"Ah, sure I guess. What is this if reference too?"
"I'll explain when you get here. You are NOT in any trouble. Sheriff Tatum and I just want to offer you a proposition."
"Okay, I'll be there."
Tate hung up, a look of concern on his face. Walking over to Don's office, Tate knocked on the door jamb.
"Don, the Police Chief and Sheriff want to talk to me at 11:00.
Don looked up from his paperwork, grinning. "Well, I guess you'd better go talk to them."
Puzzled, Tate turned around and went back to the maintenance bays.
Glen and Jarrod rode over to Gil's in the hovercraft and met Gil, Trace, Brad and Colt at the lumber shed.
They loaded the popular 1x10s and 1x2s, five gallon cans of wood preservative and bags of Sakrete into the trailer.
"Jarrod, how are you going to roof the whole thing?"
"Glen said we could lay plank decking and roofing felt…."
"Hold on, check this out."
Gil walked to the other end of the lumber shed to some stacks of roofing panels. These semi-opaque panels are what we used on the forge building. On dreary days, believe me, this lets plenty of light through. Come on, lets load enough to roof your shelter. We'll need more 1x4s to screw the panels to."
They got all that loaded and Gil went and got enough roofing screws to complete the project. Brad and Trace took the tractor and left, followed by Gil and Colt, bringing the lumber. Glen and Jarod took the hovercraft back and began moving the posts. They had their first load of three posts on the ground at the building site when Gil and the guys arrived. Glen had fabricated a harness so both of them could pull the dolly, enabling them to haul three posts at a time. Gil and the guys removed the strings near the holes, which Glen had spraypainted to mark their locations. Brad backed the tractor in and started digging the first hole. Jarrod and Glen continued to hauling logs. They finished hauling all the logs as Brad finished digging the last hole. Dropping the logs, they watched as Brad snatched the auger out of the last hole and moved the tractor over to the trailer.
"Anyone want water?" Jarrod shouted.
"Heck Yeah!" People shouted out.
Jarrod went in and got a stack of stainless steel cups and made a stainless steel pitcher of iced water. Everyone came over and lounged around the firepit, drinking water. Jarrod quickly went inside the LTi and refilled the pitcher.
That tractor sure makes things easier.' Glen said.
"Wait until we start setting the posts. They guys are going to replace the auger with a log grapple boom and we'll be able to pick up the logs and set them without a sweat."
They got up from their break and Trace, Colt and Brad began removing the auger and replacing it with the log boom. Once it was bolted on and hoses connected, the first log post was lifted into place. Gil, Glen and Jarrod plumbed the post and poured a bag of Sakrete around the post, followed by two, three gallon buckets of water. They worked from the back of the site to the front until all the posts were set.
"Jarrod, save these round header and plate poles to make brace pieces. I've got popular beams already cut we can replace them with. It'll be easier to put the joist poles on. We'll bring those over in the morning. Let's check to make sure we've got everything we'll need to finish tomorrow. Glen, I don't know if we'll need them, but I'll bring over a case of twelve inch Steel Timber T-Star screws in the morning plus our nail guns. We'll be able to finish this tomorrow."
Tate arrived at the Police Station and was directed to the Chief's office. Sheriff Tatum was in with the Chief, waiting on Tate.
"Tate, thank you for meeting with us. I'll get right to the point. Are you aware of the LE status of Gil Conner, Trace Carter, Brad Palmer and Colt Bennigan?"
"Uh no, I didn't know they had a status."
"Well, the one thing they have in common is all of them are Reserve Officers in both the Sheriff's Department and the Police Department. They don't pull traffic watch or write tickets, but if something endangers this community, they are authorized to step forward and remedy the problem, much as you did. You won't get paid, you are one of our guard dogs. You have shown good judgement and skills and we'd like you on the team."
Tate looked at both of the men. These guys are serious!
"Yes, I'll help where I can."
"That's all we ask. If you will stand, we'll swear you in."
Tate rose from his chair, was sworn in and provided a picture I.D. from each department. Tate looked at the two IDs.
"You were this confidant I'd accept the positions?"
"You have shown the same character the other Reserve Officers show."
"Well, okay then. I need to grab some lunch before I go back to work."
"Okay Tate. We'll be talking with you later." Sheriff Tatum said.
Glen went up to Jarrod's camp the next morning to find him removing braces from the poles. Glen help him finish and they sat next to the firepit hand had another cup of coffee. Beau was walking around the edge of the perimeter sniffing and occasionally watering a tree. Jarrod whistled and Beau trotted over and nuzzled Jarrod's hand. Jarrod began scratching behind his ears and Beau that this goofy look on his face…almost a grin.
"What do you have in the pack?" Jarrod asked. Extra tools we'll need. "You need to think about feeding these guys today,"
"I could order up BBQ and fixings from Big H on Flora Road and go pick it up."
"That'd work. I'll tell you, when these boy's get to work, they work like the dickens and build a hunger.
Glen and the guys arrived and the first thing that came out was the chainsaw, to get all the posts the same height. Jarrad tossed the pole tops over next to his wood pile and they began hoisting header and plate beams and attached them to the poles. Colt and Trace cut braces and notched poles and began adding braces. At 0900 Jarrod called Big H BBQ and ordered up components of the noon meal along with jugs of tea, all to be picked up at 1100.
By 10:30, everything was braced, as far as the frame. They had the floor of the storeroom to do, the board and batten and roof panels . Jarrod took off to go to Big H. When he got back, Brad and Colt were finishing up placing the 1x4as across the joist poles. Glen, Gil and Trace were finished with the shed floor but only one quarter of the way through putting up the board and batten.
Glen and Jarrod quickly set up a table using saw horses and planks and laid out the contents of the bags Jarrod had brought back. His little fridge didn't make that much ice so he had also purchased ten pounds of ice. Beau was going nuts with the smells so Glen tossed him a role to tide him over. All the men stopped working and came over to build plates of BBQ, finding places to sit and eat all over the area. Jarrod stayed in constant motion, carrying a gallon jug of tea, refilling everyone's cups.
"Man! Big H makes some good Q!" Colt said, flopping down on his back.
"Well, all that's left is getting the roof sheathing on, finish closing the storage room in and putting on the wood preservative." Gil said, taking a bite of a roll.
"And that stuff over there!" Glen pointed.
"What the hell is that!?!"
"That my friend is something I dug out of the construction debris at the county landfill. Three rolls of copper sheeting used on roofs."
"Man! Someone wasted some money!" Brad said.
"What are all those spikes for?" Trace asked.
"So birds won't land on it." Glen replied.
"Oh yeah! They do that down at Bass Pro to keep the birds off of the facia logs."
"We just tack these up and not even a sparrow will risk getting a spike up his butt."
Brad rolled back and chuckled. "Maybe you can sell the idea out in San Francisco to keep the vagrants off the street."
An hour later, they went back to work and by 1500, had everything completed, except putting on the preservative. Wood scraps were thrown on the fire and everyone opted for the spring water in lieu of coffee. They gathered up and sorted their gear and got it loaded.
"Gil, you can take back these two other cans of preservative. One can will be enough." Glen said, loading the cans on the trailer.
"Well, ya'll keep the rest of the lumber. You still need to make a door. You have hinges?"
"Yeah, got some down at the cabin."
"Gil, where can I buy those plastic drums with screw-on lids?" Jarrod
"I get mine from an industrial supply place up in Kingsport. I'll text you the address."
"Uncle Glen, maybe we can pick some up when we go to Fall Branch."
"Better plan another time, Jarrod. They close at 1200 on Saturday."
"By the way, good luck Saturday. It's nothing but mind over matter." Gil grinned.
Gil and the guys finished uploading the trailers and moved out. Glen walked around picking up scraps and throwing them in a bucket. Jarrod split the pole tops and stacked them on his wood pile.
"Well, the door can wait until tomorrow." Gen said. "Oh, Gil left a can of 9mm over there for us to use Saturday."
Jarrod went over to his recliner, sat down, and took a drink from his Klean Kanteen water bottle. "This place keeps getting better and better."
"Well, you finish whatever you're going to do. I'm headed back to the cabin."
"Later, Uncle Glen."
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Post by sniper69 on Jan 31, 2022 9:03:29 GMT -6
Thank you for the latest chapters. I'm really enjoying this story and your excellent writing abilities.
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Post by ydderf on Jan 31, 2022 11:48:52 GMT -6
thank you
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Post by kiwibutterfly on Jan 31, 2022 13:46:05 GMT -6
Many thanks
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Post by danielsga01 on Jan 31, 2022 14:58:07 GMT -6
Thanks, really enjoy your stories.
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Post by gipsy on Jan 31, 2022 15:38:57 GMT -6
Thanks for the fine updates.
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Post by udwe on Jan 31, 2022 16:15:27 GMT -6
They're getting quite a crew together! I've never heard of popular logs, just poplar, also lumber, not limber!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jan 31, 2022 17:56:06 GMT -6
They're getting quite a crew together! I've never heard of popular logs, just poplar, also lumber, not limber! Poplar logs were once popular in cabin construction. Because of poplar's limberness, the wood was often used in building screen doors in the late 1800s.
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Post by udwe on Jan 31, 2022 20:43:58 GMT -6
The story should be proofread,to catch any mistakes like I found. Don't just trust the spellcheck.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jan 31, 2022 22:25:32 GMT -6
The story should be proofread,to catch any mistakes like I found. Don't just trust the spellcheck.
UDWE has a good point. I suffer from neuropathy in my fingers and sometimes my fingers type things my eyes don't see. I do my best but sometimes that's not enough. So, if someone out there is a proficient proofreader (at least better than me) and want to volunteer, message me.
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